HC Deb 19 April 1993 vol 223 cc9-10W
Mr. William Ross

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table to show for as many years for which the information is conveniently available the number of persons sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of(a) police officers, (b) prison officers, (c) military personnel and (d) civilians who have been in each year released from prison; whether the life sentence had a minimum recommendation imposed by the court which was not fully served; and in which cases there was a terrorist involvement.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The available information for 1981 to 1991 is shown in the table. Murderers of military personnel cannot be separately identified nor is the minimum recommendation of the court recorded centrally. There was no known terrorist involvement by any of the life sentence prisoners released during 1981 to 1991.

Lifers sentenced for murder who were released on licence between 1981 and 1991 in England and Wales
1 2 3 4
Year of release on licence Murderers of prison officers Murderers of police officers Total number of murderers of all types first released on licence1
1981 57
1982 1 79
1983 83
1984 52
1985 51
1986 36
1987 47
1988 54
1989 69
1990 57
1991 1 55
1 Including those in columns 2 and 3.

Note: This table excludes those who released on appeal, transferred our of prisons in England and Wales or who died.